Doctors and Patients
by fanwriter1245
Summary: Edward is found nearly beaten to death and is taken in by a kind doctor who helps him not just physically, but emotionally as well. He quickly learns that there's more to her than what he sees. Just a short story about Edward finding a mother/big sister figure. Involves poor Ed witnessing another birth! Beginning is sort of AU. Bonus hinted Royai at the end!
1. Chapter 1

Edward's whole body ached. He tried to remember what exactly had happened to him. It was a fight with Homunculi, right? They had really done something to him. He hadn't felt such pain in a long time.

Envy sure knew how to pack a punch. Once Lust and Gluttony had gotten involved, it was all over for him. He couldn't handle them all at once by himself. They were experts at dodging his alchemy attacks.

His eyes slowly opened and he found himself looking up at a white ceiling.

"You're awake."

Edward painfully turned his head and saw a blurred figure standing next to him. She looked so familiar…

His heart clenched in his chest.

"Mom?" he whispered, his voice full of longing.

His vision began to focus and he could see the woman beside him smile a little. "No. My name is Milena. You're in my home. I found you about a mile from here. You were badly injured. My father and I are doctors so we patched you up. You had a couple of bruised ribs and a lot of gashes and cuts. What were you doing? Playing with a saw?"

Edward ignored her question. He couldn't get over how much she looked like his mother. Her hair was pulled back into a very messy bun, but a several loose pieces betrayed the fact that she parted her hair to the right. She couldn't have been that much older than him. Perhaps in her mid-20s?

He moved around a little, the small motion sending a wave of pain through him. He was only wearing shorts and he had several bandages sprinkled all across his body. Some on his leg, some on his arm, one wrapped around his head, and a whole lot wrapped around his chest and stomach.

"How long have I been out?" he asked with a strained voice.

"At least a day."

Edward's eyes widened. "Where's my brother? Where's Al?!"

"I'm sorry, but you were the only person out there."

Edward quickly sat up, which he instantly regretted. His injuries screamed at him for moving so fast.

"Hey, take it easy," Milena said. She quickly went over to him and gently laid him down again. "Relax. I promise you that we will find your brother. But you are in no condition to be going after him right now. You need to let your injuries heal."

"I can't just leave Al alone out there!"

"I'm sure he's fine. Now…can you tell me your name?"

"Edward. Edward Elric."

Now it was Milena's turn for her eyes to widen. "Edward Elric? You're the Fullmetal Alchemist."

"Yeah, that's me."

"It's an honor to meet you in person. I've heard a lot of good things about you. I've also heard that you can be very stubborn, particularly when someone is trying to get you to drink milk. And I've heard that you have got quite a temper. Especially when someone calls you short."

"WHO YOU CALLING SHORT?! I'M STILL YOUNG WHICH MEANS I'M STILL GROWING!"

Milena laughed warmly. "Relax, Edward. You'll only make your injuries worse. And for the record, I don't think you're short. You're more of…medium-sized."

"HOW IS THAT ANY BETTER?!"

Milena laughed again. "Calm down. So does that mean your brother is the one who's always wearing that armor?"

"Yeah."

"Doesn't he get hot in that?"

"Not exactly…"

"Well, from what I've heard about the both of you, I'm sure that he's fine. Okay? I'm going to get you some food and water. You need to eat something."

She went away to the kitchen and before long, she came back with a tray of food for him. She helped him sit up, and then she went about preparing to change his gauze.

Once Edward was done eating, Milena took the tray back to the kitchen. When she returned, she helped him lie back down and sat next to the bed, her medical tools on the dresser next to her. She slipped on a pair of black-rimmed glasses and went about changing all of the old bandages.

For such a young boy, Milena was surprised that the teenager had such defined muscles. It was clear his body had been through a lot, and that observation didn't stem from seeing his metal limbs.

"That's some very impressive automail," she remarked. "Clearly the work of an expert."

Milena smiled as the slightest trace of a blush dusted Edward's cheeks. "Yeah," he chuckled awkwardly. "That's Winry. She's one of the best automail mechanics in the trade."

"I see. So this Winry…is she your girlfriend?"

Edward's eyes widened again. "What?! No, she's not my girlfriend! Why does everyone always think that?! Can't a guy have a friend who's a girl?! What's the matter with that?! It's not unusual!"

Milena laughed. "But she is your best friend."

Edward ceased his rant before smiling fondly. "Yeah. Al and I have known her ever since I can remember. Whenever there's a problem, she's one of the first people I go to. I know I don't tell her nearly enough, but when it comes down to it, I know that we're always there for each other."

Milena smiled. _Not a girlfriend indeed_ , she thought to herself. "It's nice that you have someone like that in your life."

Edward furrowed his eyebrows. "Don't you?"

"My father and I spend so much time working with patients, I haven't really had time to get out and meet people."

"I'm sorry."

"I knew what I was getting into when I started learning medicine. But you know, when you see a patient heal and you see how happy they are when they're all better…it really makes it all worth it."

Milena gathered up all the old gauze and threw it in the trashcan in the room. Edward gasped quietly when he saw a long scar tracing her pale skin just beneath her hair. He wasn't sure how far the scar went down her back, but it was clear it had been a very severe injury.

"Hey, Milena?"

Milena turned to face him with a small smile. "Mm-hmm?"

"If you don't mind my asking…how did you get that scar?"

Milena's eyes darkened, but she didn't look angry with him for asking. For that he was relieved. The last thing he wanted was his 'doctor' angry with him.

"It was a long time ago. There was an accident involving alchemy. I got hurt in the process, and so did everyone within close distance of me. My father was able to fix everyone up, but I walked away with this scar."

"Who was doing the alchemy?"

"I'm not sure."

From the way she said that, Edward was pretty sure she was lying, but he decided not to press it. He had already pushed his luck as far as he wanted to risk it.

* * *

Milena could safely say that she had never had such an antsy patient the entire time she'd been a doctor. Edward just could not lie in bed for longer than an hour. She allowed him to get out and sit in a chair for a while, but she never let him stay up for long for fear of injuring himself further.

She knew how worried he was about his brother, and she didn't blame him for wanting to go find him. But she also knew that if he went out in his current state, he was going to get himself killed.

For hours on end, Milena would sit in Edward's room and talk with him to keep him company. It helped keep his mind off Al, and it kept him still. She took all of her meals in his room so that he wouldn't have to eat alone. She really enjoyed listening to all of his stories. He had had so many incredible adventures in all sorts of places. She would be lying if she said she wasn't a bit jealous that he got to travel so much.

She was about to make some dinner for him when he awoke from a nap when she heard quiet whimpers coming from the room…

* * *

 _"I love you, boys."_

 _"We love you too, Mom!" young Edward and Alphonse chorused as they smiled._

 _Trisha hugged her two sons close to her. Edward soaked in the feeling of being in her protective arms once more. He missed her so much. He missed seeing her smiling face every day. He missed her warm hugs. He missed everything about her._

 _"You love me Edward?"_

 _"Of course I do!"_

 _"Then why didn't you save me?"_

 _Edward's eyes widened and he took a step back. "…What?"_

 _"Why didn't you bring me back? Why didn't you save your mother, Edward?"_

 _"I…I tried."_

 _"Not hard enough. Didn't you care?"_

 _The perfect image of his mother melted away like burning wax. Her beautiful creamy skin turned leathery and wrinkled. Her jaw fell open in a skeletal manner. Her eyes began to glow red. Her luscious brown hair tangled and began flying around her head._

 _"MOM!"_

* * *

"Edward!" Milena cried as she ran inside the room. She saw the poor boy grimacing in pain, clearly in the throes of an awful nightmare.

Milena ran to the other side of the bed and climbed up so that she was sitting next to him.

"Edward, honey, wake up. It's just a nightmare. Wake up."

She gently shook him until his eyes shot open. He took heaving breaths, sweat pouring down his face.

"It's okay," Milena said tenderly. "It was only a dream."

Edward slowly sat up in bed and looked over at Milena. The sight of someone who looked so much like the person he longed to see again was too much for him. His hands curled into tight fists, and tears began leaking out of his eyes despite all of his attempts to push them back.

Milena's heart broke in half. This was something she hadn't expected. This was the Fullmetal Alchemist in front of her. He was practically a warrior, a hero for the people. He was only a kid and he was already basically legend.

And yet, here he was, crying softly in front of her. She was seeing this hero at one of his weakest moments.

Milena gently put her arms around him and pulled him close. He clung onto her as if she was his only connection to this world. If he let her go, he would lose everything all over again.

Milena's eyebrows creased together sadly when she realized how tightly he was holding onto her. That had not been an ordinary nightmare he had woken up from. It had been a terrible memory. And whatever it was must've scarred him greatly.

She rubbed her hand up and down his arm as her other hand ran through his hair. "It's all right," she said to him. "It's okay. I promise. You're safe."

"I miss her," Edward said so quietly, she almost didn't catch it.

Whoever he missed, it must've been someone pretty important for him to react this way. She couldn't even begin to understand the hardships he had faced in his life.

* * *

Edward's legs hung over the side of the bed. Milena stood in front of him, ready to help him stand up. He grasped her forearms, and she did the same. Then, with Milena's aid, he forced his legs to hoist the rest of his body off the bed.

The injuries on his chest screamed in pain, but he did his best to ignore it. If he wanted to find Al, he had to force himself to get better.

"We're going to take it slow, okay?" Milena said.

She walked backwards throughout the house, Edward tightly clinging onto her arms. They took very small steps so that he could ease himself into walking again. For the first time, Edward finally got to see more of the place he had been staying in. It was a small, quaint little home. Perfect for a father and daughter to live in and take care of patients.

"Very good, Edward."

Edward hadn't realized how hard it was going to be to walk again. With the combination of his wounds and the fact that he hadn't walked in three days, this was really a challenge.

A sharp pain coursed through his side where one of his injuries was, and he bent over a little as he groaned.

"Okay, okay," Milena said quickly as she put his arm around her waist so she could support him better. "That's enough for now. Let's get you back in bed."

Reluctantly, Edward let Milena take him back to the room. He didn't want to, but if he kept moving, it would just slow down his recovery even more. That was the last thing he needed.

"You're getting better every day," Milena remarked once he was situated in bed again. "You'll be back on your feet in no time."

"Good. I've gotta get out of here and find Al. I just hope he's okay…"


	2. Chapter 2

Milena was sitting at the table in the dining room when she heard footsteps. She looked up and saw Edward entering the room. He looked much healthier and his injuries had healed very well, but he was still rather weak.

She furrowed her eyebrows when she saw that he was looking at her very, very angrily.

"Are you okay?" she asked him as she removed her glasses.

"I figured it out," he said coldly.

"Figured what out?"

"Your plan."

"My plan?"

"You're working with the Homunculi, aren't you?"

"What?"

"That was your plan all along. To keep me here, pretending like I'm some kind of invalid when the whole time, you're just trying to keep me away from Al!"

"What are you talking about? I've done nothing but try to help you."

"I could've left here a long time ago. I could've saved Al by now. But you had to keep me here so the Homunculi could do whatever they wanted with him without me interfering."

"Edward, I don't know what you're talking about. I've never even heard of Homunculi before. If it wasn't for me finding you a few days ago, you would be dead. Do you even understand how heavily you were bleeding? It's a miracle you survived as it is."

"I'm leaving. I'm going to find Al, and I'm not going to let you stop me."

"Edward, don't! If you go to fight whoever the Homunculi are now, you won't be able to survive their attacks!"

"Like I would believe anything you say! Are you one of them too? Or did they just promise you something? Something you want more than anything!"

Milena's eyes hardened. "Even if I did know what Homunculi are, they could never give me what I want more than anything."

"In that case, why are you working for them?"

"I'm not working for them! I don't even know who they are!"

"Fine. Don't tell me. But don't come after me, or you'll regret it."

"Edward, stop!"

"I said leave me alone!"

Edward clapped his hands together and touched the ground causing a bright blue flash to light up the small house. A piece of the floor rose up and knocked Milena off her feet. He glared at her hardly before taking off outside. Milena took a few shallow breaths as she stared after him.

Who in the world were the Homunculi? And why on earth did he think she was one of them?

"Milena?" her father called as he stepped inside. "What in the world happened in here?"

"It's Edward," she answered. Her father helped her up off the floor. "He's gone."

"Gone where?"

Milena grabbed her red jacket off the hook by the door. "I don't know."

"Where are you going?"

"To find him. If I don't, he could very well be killed." She turned to her father and added firmly, "And I am never going to let that happen."

* * *

"Hello, Fullmetal," a seductive voice said with a small laugh. "Didn't expect to see you here."

"You," Edward growled at the Homunculus. "What have you done with Al?"

Lust looked at him with her usual seductive stare, her arms crossed over her chest. "Oh, relax. He's safe. For now."

"Why is Milena working for you? What did you promise her?"

"Milena? You mean that lovely doctor? Why would she be working for us? We wanted you dead, remember? If it wasn't for her, you would've died from blood loss within a couple hours. I thought having our lovely confrontation so far from civilization would take care of that, but unfortunately she found you."

Had Milena really been telling the truth?

"She stayed up all night several times just to take care of you. Why she would do something like that, I'll never know."

Edward felt a very, very large knot twist in the pit of his stomach. He felt even worse than he had when Envy and Lust had practically killed him a few days ago. He had accused Milena of working with the Homunculi when she had spent hours and hours tending to him, sacrificing her time and energy to help him.

He hadn't realized she had pulled all-nighters in order to take care of him. She always seemed so awake and happy. How was she possibly functioning on so little sleep?

"Struck a chord, did I?" Lust drawled. "I can't believe you came back for more."

"I came for Al. Where is he?!"

"I'm sorry. I'm afraid he's not here. You're going to have to try harder next time. Unfortunately for you, there won't be a next time."

Lust came at him with her extended sharpened fingers, but Edward transmuted his arm and blocked the weapons.

"Oh, the Fullmetal's back?" Envy laughed, stepping out of the shadows. "Moron."

Edward fought the two Homunculi, but he found himself losing strength twice as fast as he normally did. Milena had been right. He wasn't ready to fight them.

Pain coursed through him and he crumpled to the ground.

Envy laughed. "I've gotta give you credit, kid. You're tough. Too bad it's not enough."

Edward gasped and his eyes widened as something sharp pierced his flesh and came out of the other side of his body.

* * *

"Edward!" Milena called.

She frantically looked around the city, asking everyone she came in contact with if they had seen him. No one had. She was quickly losing hope. He couldn't possibly have gone very far. Not with his body still weak from his injuries.

Milena gripped the necklace she was wearing. "Mom…I need you. Please help me find him."

The young woman continued her search when she heard commotion coming from inside an old stone building that had not been in use for years.

"Edward?" she called again, quickly running through the cobwebbed hallways. It was extremely dark and she could barely see anything around her.

She could hear the noises and shouts suddenly cease. With that being her only lead, Milena had no idea where to go now.

"Ed, answer me!"

Suddenly, she could make out pained gasping. She ran inside the room she heard the gasping from and froze.

Edward lay on the ground, a large pool of blood beneath him. There were several gaping holes on his stomach.

"No!" Milena cried, running over to him. She gently took him in his arms and stroked his face. "Edward! Ed?"

"Milena," Edward mustered out. "I'm sorry for what I said to you."

"Oh, it's okay. I know you were just scared. You just need to hang on, okay? Be strong and hold on. You'll be all right."

"I'm so sorry, Milena."

A couple tears traveled down Milena's cheeks. "I'm not mad, Edward. How could I be? I never had any siblings. But in these past few days, I've felt like I had a little brother."

"I'm sorry…"

Edward went limp in her arms.


	3. Chapter 3

"No…Ed? Edward?!"

Milena pulled him close to her and sobbed over him. She hadn't realized how much she really cared for the young boy until she was holding him in her arms, his blood continuing to pour out on the stone floor mixing with the tears falling from her face.

No. She was not going to lose someone else.

Milena frantically looked around her for something to work with. When she looked down, she saw that Edward's arm was still transmuted into the blade he used to fight with.

Tears still coming to her eyes, she took a deep breath before slicing her hand on the sharp blade. She winced as she squeezed her hand and let droplets of her blood fall onto the floor. Then she arranged the red liquid into a design she had spent years perfecting.

Looking back at Edward, she could feel that she had a limited amount of time to do what she needed to do. His pulse was slowing by the second and he had become deathly pale.

With a deep breath, she pressed her hand to the design, and blue light filled the room.

Milena screamed in pain as the blue light encircled her and Edward. Just when the pain became unbearable, it finally ceased. She took several shallow breaths and looked down at Edward.

Nothing happened. She had failed again.

Suddenly, his eyes opened and he gasped lightly, the color quickly returning to his face.

Milena gasped and smiled. It worked!

"Milena?" Edward said softly.

Edward hadn't felt this good in years. He felt like he could take down an entire army without even using alchemy.

Milena helped him sit up then sat up on her knees and hugged him tightly, tears of utter relief coming down her cheeks.

Edward hugged her back, and they both sat there in silence for a while.

"You're such an idiot!" Milena laughed when she pulled away, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"Yeah, I get that a lot. What did you do to me?"

The woman looked down at the design she had made. It was a Transmutation Circle made from her blood.

"You…you can do alchemy?" Edward asked in disbelief.

"Sort of. I only use it for medical purposes. And only when someone is so close to death, I have no other option."

"Why?"

Milena sighed. "I told you I was in an accident involving alchemy. I didn't tell you that I was the one who caused the accident. I was young, and I was still learning alchemy. I messed up a Transmutation Circle really, really bad, and I caused some kind of weird explosion that got everyone around me hurt. If it wasn't for my father, they all would've died. From then on, I swore that I would only use alchemy to heal people when there's nothing else I can do. That way, if I mess up again and they die, then they are no better off than they were before. Believe me, Edward, I wanted to use alchemy to heal you so you could find your brother, but I was so afraid that I would mess up and just make things worse."

Edward sighed heavily. He had no idea Milena had been through something like that. How could he even think that someone like her, someone who had helped him heal and comforted him after his nightmare, was working for the Homunculi?

He really was an idiot.

"You're bleeding," he said as he noticed the large gash on her hand.

"I was in a hurry and needed something to make a Transmutation Circle with."

Edward cut off a portion of his black shirt and wrapped it around the cut.

"Milena, I really need your help. I need to find Al, but I can't face the Homunculi on my own. If you really can do alchemy, and clearly you're good at it, with both of us facing them, we can do it."

"Ed…I haven't done alchemy in a really long time."

"Please. You could be my only chance at saving my brother."

Milena took a deep breath. How could she refuse such a request? She had witnessed firsthand how upset and worried sick he had been over the course of the last few days. And the Homunculi obviously didn't go easy on him. Twice now, he had almost died at their hands. She recalled her promise to her father. She was never going to let Edward get killed.

"Okay," she finally said to him. "Let's go get your brother back."

When they arrived at an old building a few miles from Milena's town, the young woman stopped before entering.

"How can you be so sure Al is in here?" she asked.

"I just do. Al and I share a special kind of connection, you know?"

"I'm sensing a pattern in their choice of hideouts…"

Edward started to walk forward, but he stopped when he noticed Milena wasn't following.

"Ed…I can't. I can't do this."

"What are you talking about?"

"I haven't used real alchemy in years. I don't even know if I remember how to do it. And what if I do something wrong and I hurt Al…or you?"

"Milena, alchemy isn't just something you forget. It's a part of who you are. And after seeing what you did to me, I have no doubt that you can do it again. As for me and Al? Don't worry about us. We can take care of ourselves just fine."

Milena nervously bit her lip. Determined to help him, she followed Edward into the building.

They entered a large room with many old stones and shadows. It was extremely creepy to be in the place. So appropriate considering who they were dealing with.

"Al?" Edward called. "You here?"

"I can't believe it," Lust drawled, her heels clicking on the floor. "You're quite stubborn, Edward Elric. It appears killing you is harder than I thought."

"Is that a Homunculus?" Milena asked quietly.

"Yeah," Edward answered. "You can tell by the Ouroboros tattoo on her chest. All Homunculi have them."

"The stupid pipsqueak is still alive?!" Envy yelled as he joined Lust.

"PIPSQUEAK?!" Edward screamed.

"Not the time, Ed," Milena berated.

"I presume you're Milena," Lust smiled. "You know, you really are a thorn in my side. Can't you see that I want Edward Elric dead? Must you keep helping him stay alive?"

A short but huge Homunculus stood next to Lust. "Oh, please, Lust, can I eat her? I haven't had a doctor in ages!"

"Eat me?!" Milena cried.

"No, Gluttony," Lust answered. "This one is for me and Envy. After all, it's because of her that our plan to kill Fullmetal keeps failing."

"Enough talk," Edward growled. "You'll get Milena over my dead body."

"As you wish!" Envy yelled.

He charged towards the alchemist, but Edward clapped his hands together and touched the ground. A large piece of the floor hit Envy and sent him sprawling backwards.

Lust ran forward, her sharp claws at the ready. She slashed at Edward over and over again, but he transmuted his arm and avoided all of her swipes at him.

Gluttony ran over and hit Edward while he was distracted by Lust. Edward went flying and landed on the hard ground.

Meanwhile, Envy ran over to Milena and pinned her against the wall. He gave her such a sadistic and evil smile, the woman felt a shiver go down her spine.

"Milena!" Edward cried weakly. "Don't be afraid! Mistakes happen, believe me, I know! Al and I tried to bring our mother back to life! And because we did that even though we knew we weren't supposed to, I lost my arm and leg and he lost his body! But that mistake made us better people! We learned from it and we continue to learn from it so that we don't make the same mistake again! You can learn from your mistake too! You can't always be afraid!"

As Edward gave her one of the most insightful speeches she had ever heard, Milena's face changed. Her terrified look changed to a very angry and determined one. Something Envy clearly noticed.

Before the Homunculus could even process what just happened, Milena head-butted him which forced him to let go of her. Then she and Envy started throwing kicks and punches to each other, and it was clear Envy was not prepared for the young woman to react in such a way. Milena delivered a very hard spin-kick to his chest.

Edward was shocked. For a sweet and kind doctor, she certainly had some incredible fighting knowledge! She was taking out a Homunculus!

While Envy slowly got up, Milena stood and faced the Homunculi. Edward had never seen the young woman look like she did now. In fact, he wasn't sure he had ever seen such fierceness in anyone he had ever met before, and he had met a lot of angry people in the past.

Milena shrugged off her red jacket and let it fall to the floor to reveal the black tank top she was wearing underneath. Then she clapped her hands together, ignoring how much it stung the gash she had previously made, before moving her arms in a fluid circle. Blue light formed in the circle she had created in the air. She brought her hands together in a clawed motion near her head to complete the circle. Then she threw her hands in the direction of the Homunculi. The floor and the stone pillars rose up in the air and hit the Homunculi as Milena moved her hands to direct the inanimate objects.

With a short scream, she brought her hands down and the objects fell to the ground. She quickly ran over to Edward.

Offering her hand, he took it with wide eyes. "You didn't even need to touch the objects you were transmuting."

"Hey, you're not the only talented alchemist around here."

The two of them smiled at each other once they realized that they had now gained the upper hand.

"Ready?" Edward asked.

"Ready!"

The two alchemists clapped their hands together and blue light formed. Milena moved her arms in her fluid circle while Edward knelt down and touched the ground.

With both of them working together, the Homunculi had a much harder time stopping the transmuted floor and the pieces of stone flying all around the room. But thanks to Lust's claws, the Homunculi were able to evade the objects as she sliced through everything coming towards her and the others.

Milena furiously flung a sharp piece of stone at Lust, and it lodged into her arm. Her arm stuck fast to the ground and she couldn't get up until Envy pulled the stone out.

Milena's eyes widened. "Edward. See those nodes on them? I think hitting those can immobilize them."

As they both used alchemy to try to hit the nodes on the human-like creatures, Milena could feel herself losing her ground. Using so much alchemy was taking its toll on her. She had to wrap up this fight now.

"Ed," she said to the boy, not taking her eyes off the objects she was moving. "We both clap our hands together to use alchemy, right? No Transmutation Circle?"

"Yeah," he answered as he continued to do alchemy himself.

"Well…what if we clap each other's hands?"

"You think that could work?"

Milena brought her hands down and the objects ceased their flight and came crashing to the ground. "It couldn't hurt to try."

Edward stood up and the blue light in the room vanished. Then he turned to face her.

Milena looked at the Homunculi charging towards them. If this went wrong, she didn't know what they would do then. But she was running out of options.

Edward and Milena turned towards one another. Then they clapped each other's hands. Milena moved her arms in her circle as Edward touched the ground once more. When Milena threw her hands out, blue light flew from her and Edward's hands, multiplied by at least twenty.

Milena looked down at Edward and smiled. It was actually working!

Objects flew all across the room faster than the Homunculi could process. The two alchemists refused to relent on their extremely powerful alchemy. Soon, a cloud of dust formed in front of them so that the Homunculi were out of sight. The blue light vanished as Edward and Milena ceased their alchemy.

When the dust dissipated, the Homunculi were gone.

"Do you think that killed them?" Milena asked.

"No, it's a lot harder than that to kill a Homunculus. They probably just went back into hiding for a little while to prepare to come after me again. But next time, I'll be ready for them."

"Ed…thank you. That was a part of me that I had closed off a long time ago. And I hadn't realized how much I needed to open it up again."

Milena cried out in pain and her legs buckled beneath her.

"Milena!" Edward cried as he rushed towards her and caught her before she fell.

"I haven't used that much alchemy in a long time. It's taking its toll on my body." Another wave of pain swept through her, but Edward refused to let her fall. "I'll be okay. I just need to rest for a while. Which I will do after we find your brother."

Edward put Milena's arm around his shoulders and helped her walk through the halls of the old building.


	4. Chapter 4

"Al?" Edward called.

"Al, are you down here?" Milena yelled.

"Brother?" a voice said from the darkness.

The two alchemists trudged into one of the dimly lit rooms and found a tied up suit of armor.

"Al!" Edward exclaimed.

"I'm okay, Ed," Milena told him. "Go on."

Edward released her and rushed forward to his young brother. "Al, are you okay?!"

"I'm fine," Alphonse answered as Edward began to undo his binds.

"What did they want you for?"

"I wish I knew. They never discussed their plans in front of me."

"So you're Alphonse Elric," Milena smiled as she approached them.

Al turned to look at Milena and froze. "Brother…"

"Yeah, I know," Edward said. "I thought the same thing."

Milena knelt down and sat next to the two brothers. "I look like your mom, don't I?"

"How'd you know?" Alphonse asked.

"Well, the fact that Edward called me Mom when he first saw me was kind of the dead giveaway. Your reaction to seeing me was what sealed the deal. Not to mention I can see the way Ed looks at me. She must've meant a lot to you."

"Yeah," Edward said quietly, lost in the memory of their beloved mother. "We could've never asked for a better mom. Al, this is Milena. She's a doctor who took care of me after the fight we had with the Homunculi. It turns out she's also an amazing alchemist!"

"It's nice to meet you," Alphonse said politely.

"And you as well," Milena smiled. "I've heard such great things about you." Milena paused for a moment and looked at the elder sibling. "Edward…earlier, you said that you both attempted human transmutation and that it caused Al to lose his body."

"Yeah."

"What did you mean by that?"

The two boys looked at each other. Then Alphonse lifted up his helmet to reveal that there was no body inside.

Milena's eyes widened. "You bonded his soul to the armor?"

"Yep!" Alphonse answered. "My blood seal is right here!" He pointed to the design made from Edward's blood sitting on the neck of the armor.

"How old were you when you did that?"

"I was 11," Edward told her.

"You were 11, and you performed that kind of alchemy? It's no wonder you're a State Alchemist. That's amazing!"

"Thanks. Can I ask you a question now?"

"Sure."

"You can do alchemy without a Transmutation Circle. But the only way you can do that is if you saw the Gate. Which means you had to have attempted a human transmutation as well."

Milena sighed heavily. "Yes, I did. That accident I told you about? My father was able to save everyone…except one little girl. And knowing that I was the one responsible for her death destroyed me inside. I couldn't live with the guilt. So I attempted to bring her back. Needless to say, it didn't go well. That scar you saw on the back of my neck? My heart got torn out from the back."

"What? Then how are you even alive right now?"

"My father's an amazing doctor. He kept me alive…by giving me my mother's heart. She sacrificed her life so that I would live. That was when I swore never to do alchemy again unless I absolutely had to. Because my mistake cost the life of a little girl and my own mother." Milena fingered the necklace she was wearing. "This belonged to her. I think she did something to it before she died. Ever since I started wearing it, I didn't need to touch objects to perform alchemy on them. I think it's that, and the fact that she's literally a part of me. Every day, I feel her heartbeat inside me, and it's what keeps me going."

"That's incredible," Alphonse remarked. "You don't have to touch objects to use alchemy?"

"Oh, you should see her, Al!" Edward praised. "I've never seen anyone so talented at using alchemy!"

Milena laughed. "You flatter me."

Suddenly, the young woman cried out in pain again and fell over.

"Hey, are you okay?" Edward asked quickly.

"I'll be fine. Like I said, I just need to rest."

"Let Al carry you. You can't possibly walk all the way back to your house."

"No, you don't have to—" She was cut off by another surge of pain. "Well, I guess it couldn't hurt."

Alphonse gently lifted her up into his metal arms and the three of them returned to Milena's home.

"Milena!" her father called when he saw them approaching the house. "What happened to her?"

"She used too much alchemy for her body to take," Edward told the older man.

"…She used alchemy again?"

"Yeah. I had no idea she was so amazing at it."

"It's her best skill. I can't believe she did it. I haven't seen her use alchemy in years."

"She did it to save me. Without her, I would be dead."

"You must really mean a lot to her, Edward."

"He does…" Milena said tiredly from Alphonse's arms.

"You must be Alphonse," her father said to the suit of armor. "You can go on back and put her in bed. She's going to need to sleep for a while to recharge after using alchemy again."

Alphonse carried Milena to the bedroom next to the one Edward had been using.

"Are you're sure you're going to be okay?" Edward asked her once she was in bed.

"I'll be fine, I promise," Milena smiled. "I'm glad you're okay."

"Thanks to you. I'm really sorry I accused you of working for the Homunculi. They told me that you had stayed up all night to take care of me."

"Yeah. I knew how much you wanted to go find your brother, so I had to change your bandages and give you medicine throughout the night in order to help you heal faster. Then when I wasn't doing that, I was doing my best to try to find Al for you."

"You were looking for Al all night?"

Edward sighed. He wished he had known that earlier. Then he never would've thought for a moment she was working with the Homunculi.

"It's okay, Ed," Milena said, gently taking his hand as she noticed the guilty expression on his face. "Because of you, I've fully accepted the part of me that can do alchemy. It's painful, but I'm glad because now I'll be able to help even more patients in recovery."

"I guess we helped each other."

"Sometimes the doctor is the one who needs help more than the patient."

Edward smiled. "Well, we should get going. We have a lot to do, don't we, Al?"

"You bet," Alphonse said. "Milena, thank you for helping my brother."

"Of course. I want the both of you to come back and visit sometime soon, okay?"

"We will."

"Promise?"

"Promise," Edward said to her. "Thanks for everything. Now get some rest."

"Good-bye, boys. I hope you find what you're looking for."

* * *

"You idiots!"

The Homunculi gathered up against a very angry Homunculus.

"How were we supposed to know we weren't supposed to kill them?" Envy asked.

"I told you we needed five sacrifices! And those sacrifices can only come from people who have performed human transmutation!"

"Well, you didn't tell us that."

"You should have figured it out!"

"So we're supposed to be able to read your mind now?"

"All due respect," Lust interjected, "you didn't make us aware that we needed Fullmetal and his brother to survive. You told us that if anyone appears to interfere with our plans, they must be dealt with accordingly. That's what we did with Fullmetal. We planned on doing the same to his brother once we figured out where his blood seal was."

The blond-haired Homunculus rubbed his hand over his chin. "I suppose you have a point. I'll let you off this time. But no one kills the Fullmetal Alchemist or his brother until the day we have so long awaited. Stay alert, my children, for we will reign victorious."

"Yes, Father," the Homunculi said in unison.


	5. Chapter 5

"Milena!"

Milena turned around as she hung up clothes on the line to dry. A broad smile stretched across her face when she realized who was running up to the house.

"Edward!" she exclaimed.

She quickly put up the last pieces of clothing and turned around.

Edward slowed his pace and his eyes widened when he saw the size of Milena's stomach.

Milena smiled warmly when she saw the look on his face as her hands rested on her enlarged belly. "Yeah, if this is any indication of how long it's been."

She held her arms out, and Edward smiled again as he ran to hug her. "It's great to see you again."

"Goodness, you've gotten so tall." She looked over at the other very small boy with him. "Al, is that you?"

Alphonse smiled at her. "Hi, Milena."

Milena went over to him and hugged his frail body tightly. "It's good to see the real you. What are you guys doing here?"

"We're passing through on our way back home to Risembool."

"Oh, really? I'm happy you decided to stop by!" She turned towards her house. "Honey! Come out here! There's some people I want you to meet!"

An attractive young man stepped out of the house and walked over to Milena. "Who is it?"

Milena put her arm around him. "Boys, this is my husband, Levi. Hon, this is Edward Elric, and his brother Alphonse."

"Good to meet you, sir," Edward said politely.

"So you're the famous Edward Elric. My wife has talked endlessly about the both of you. I guess I have you to thank for getting her into alchemy again. It's actually how we met."

"Really?"

"Yeah, if it wasn't for her incredible alchemy, I wouldn't be alive."

"I can relate."

"Come on inside," Milena smiled. "I want to hear everything."

Edward and Alphonse sat inside Milena and Levi's home and as she cooked food for them, they explained to her what had happened in Amestris since they had seen her. It took hours since there was a whole lot to tell.

Milena sat across from them with rapt attention. She couldn't believe what these boys had been through to get where they were now. It was unbelievable.

"So you can't do alchemy anymore?" she asked Edward.

"No. I had to give it up to get Al's body back."

"Well, I can't say I won't miss fighting alongside you. But I'm very proud of you, Edward. Throughout everything, you remained strong and loyal and you stuck to your values. I admire that a lot."

"Thanks."

"It's gotten late. Why don't you both stay here for tonight? You can sleep in the guest room and our spare bed we keep for patients."

"I'd love to take you up on that offer."

"Hon, can you go make up the beds for these boys? They've got a lot of traveling ahead of them, and they're going to need a good night's rest."

"Of course," Levi responded.

Once the rooms had been prepared, Edward took off his jacket and kicked off his shoes to prepare to go to bed. Memories instantly returned from the last time he had slept here. He was so happy that Milena had gotten married since he knew how lonely she had been the last time he had seen her.

There was a knock on his door. "Edward?"

"Come in."

Milena opened the door and stepped inside. "Just like old times, huh?"

Edward smiled. "Yeah. It feels like just yesterday I was in here barely able to walk."

Milena's smile faded as a concerned look appeared on her face. "Are you okay now?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

"You have been through so much in the past couple of years. I don't think you've had time to sit down, breathe, and really process everything that has happened."

"I'm fine."

"Really? Because in front of me, I see a boy who is utterly exhausted in every way possible. It's me, Edward. I've already seen you at one of your weakest moments. You don't have to pretend to be strong for me."

"I'm being strong for Al," Edward said quietly, his back to her.

Milena nodded a little. "Okay, well, Al isn't here right now. He's sleeping in his own room to get back his strength. So it's okay to drop the act."

Edward turned to her, and she saw tears in his eyes which broke her heart just as much as it had the first time. "I've seen so many people die. And then there are all the people who died on the Promised Day that I didn't see. They had families and friends and people who loved them. I wish I could've saved them."

"Edward, you are only human. As much as you want it, you can't save everyone. But because of what you did, you saved the entire world. Those soldiers knew what they were getting into when they joined the military. They always knew that death was a strong possibility. Their sacrifice was not in vain. They helped stop the Homunculi, and they bought you the time you needed to be able to defeat them for good. You are such a strong and compassionate young man. I could not be prouder of you."

"The way Al is…he's so weak…and small…"

"But he will get stronger. It's just going to take some time."

"He wouldn't look that way if I hadn't tried to bring Mom back."

"Edward, you can't keep blaming yourself for this. I guarantee you that Al doesn't care about how he looks right now. What he cares about is what his brother has done for him since the day he was born. And no matter what, you boys share a bond stronger than anything I have ever seen before. That bond isn't going to be broken easily, especially now that Al has his body back. I can't even imagine how happy he must be."

"But I took away all those years from him."

"And in that time, you boys got even closer than you already were. You traveled the world together and saw things that most people your age will never see. Your hardships have molded you into the incredible people who are here with me now. Don't have regrets, Edward. Everything you've gone through has only made you stronger."

Tears began to sink down Edward's face. Milena quickly went up to him and enveloped him in her arms. Edward's hands sunk into her back as he clung onto her.

As much as he hated it, he knew she was right. He hadn't really sat back and processed everything that had happened yet. He hadn't even realized it, but it had been weighing him down.

As he felt Milena rubbing her hand gently against his back and her other hand running through his hair, he felt as if a thousand-pound weight had been lifted off his shoulders.


	6. Chapter 6

"Edward," Milena gasped. "I need your help."

"What is it?"

"I think my baby's coming."

"What?! Not again!"

"Again? How many births have you been present for?"

"Two."

"Well, I'm sorry to make it a third. But Levi's gone into town, and I don't know when he'll be back."

"Can't you just…wait?"

"It doesn't work like that."

"There's no way I can do this! We can just call a doctor!"

"Edward, in this town, Levi and I are the doctors. We're the ones people come to for help with delivery. The nearest doctor is miles away from here."

"This can't be happening…"

"Ed, you're an adult. I really need you. If you don't help me, things aren't looking good for me or my baby. I'll coach you through everything, and I'll do my best to make sure everything is…covered." She bent over in pain and gasped. "It's coming now!"

Edward sighed heavily before quickly helping Milena to her room. What were the odds of this happening three times in his lifetime? Where was Winry when he needed her?

"Get me some towels and blankets and some warm water," Milena ordered. "Al, honey, wait outside the room, okay? Everything's going to be fine."

While Alphonse sat in a chair right outside the door, Milena propped herself up on her bed and tried to take slow, even breaths. Edward ran in with the supplies. She placed a towel under her feet and a blanket over her legs.

"Okay. Just stay calm, Edward. That's the most important thing."

"Aren't I supposed to be telling you that?"

"I think in this case, you need the reassurance more than I do." She took some more even breaths, trying to stay calm herself. "Alright, here comes another contraction."

Milena took a deep breath and pushed hard. The pain was unbelievable, but she tried to fake it for Edward's sake. The poor boy had already gone extremely pale.

"Are you alright?" she gasped once the contraction ended.

Edward didn't answer her.

"MILENA?!"

Levi burst into the room frantically, his eyes wide and his face red.

"Oh, thank the Lord," Milena sighed.

Levi came up behind Edward and took his seat. "I've got this now, Edward. Just go over to her and hold her hand."

Silently blessing Levi a thousand times for his timely entrance, Edward got up and moved over to Milena's side. She quickly grasped one of his hands so hard, he lost circulation. He decided not to say anything since he was certain she was in a lot more pain that he was. Besides, after what he gone through on the Promised Day, this was nothing.

"Alright, Milena. Push again."

Milena cried out in pain as another contraction started and she pushed. Her sweat-drenched hair began sticking to her face.

"Edward, get a wet cloth and rub her forehead to cool her down," Levi instructed.

Edward quickly grabbed one of the towels in the room and dipped it into the water. Then he gently pressed it to Milena's head, soaking up the perspiration.

"I'm so sorry," Milena said quietly to the young boy.

"Don't worry about me," Edward told her gently, shocked that she was apologizing for something she had no control over. "You just focus on you and the baby."

"Ready?" Levi said to his wife. "Okay, and push!"

Edward clutched onto her hand as she pushed again.

"Okay, okay, I can see the head. One more. Ready? And…push."

With one final push, loud crying suddenly filled the room. Milena sighed and leaned back onto the bed, the pain finally over.

"Honey…" Levi said softly. "It's a girl."

As Edward continued to lightly brush Milena's face with the cloth, Levi finished the procedure and cleaned up their new daughter. Then he wrapped her up in a blanket and gently placed the little girl into Milena's arms. Tears formed in her eyes at the sight of the life she had created. She smiled as the baby slowly began to cease her crying.

"Wow…" Edward said quietly.

Milena laughed lightly. "Imagine how it's going to be when it's your own child."

Levi went to the door. "Alphonse, you can come in now."

Alphonse hobbled into the room and couldn't help but smile when he saw the newest member of Milena's family.

"What's her name?" he asked.

Milena looked up at them as Levi came and stood next to her. "Why don't you boys pick a name?"

Edward and Alphonse looked at each other for a moment, each trying to think up a proper name for the little girl.

"Nina," Edward finally said.

A small smile graced Milena's lips, having heard the story of the adorable young girl who had been turned into a chimera by her greedy father. She had made such an impact in the two boys' lives in such a short time, and Milena was aware of how much they had cared for the girl.

"I love it," she said softly. "What do you think, Levi?"

"It's a beautiful name," Levi answered. "Perfect for our daughter."

"Edward, Levi and I were talking last night, and we were hoping that…you would her godfather."

"Really?" Edward asked in surprise.

"Yes. You've made such an impact on this family already. It only seems fitting."

"I'd be honored."

"Would you like to hold her?"

"Uh…are you sure?"

"Of course. Just be very careful."

Edward ever so gently took the bundle from Milena's arms. The small baby yawned in his arms, and it was one of the cutest things he had ever seen.

"She's so tiny," he remarked with a smile.

Levi and Milena smiled at the teenager holding their daughter. He looked so much less worn down than he had the day before. Now, he looked truly happy.

Levi hugged his wife and lightly kissed her on the forehead. "I'm very proud of you."

"I'm glad you were here," Milena smiled. She looked over at Alphonse. "How about you, Al? Wanna hold her?"

"I couldn't," Al answered nervously. "I'm still too weak."

"Levi, why don't you help him?"

Levi took the baby from Edward's arms and walked over to Alphonse who had taken a seat on the chair in the room. He transferred the small girl to Alphonse's arms, but kept his hands on her so she didn't fall. After all, Alphonse's muscles were still severely atrophied.

"Oh, wow," Alphonse said quietly. "She's really beautiful."

Milena smiled. "I'll be sure to tell her you said that about her."

"This is so incredible…"

"It'll be even more incredible when you have a child of your own."

Each of them took turns holding Nina, always awestruck at how unbelievable the miracle of life really was.

After a couple more hours, the two boys decided that they needed to get back on their journey. They still had a long way to go until they were in Risembool.

Levi packed some food for them per Milena's request.

"Come see us again soon, okay?" Milena said as they stood outside her home.

"We will."

"And make sure you bring Winry. I'm eager to meet her."

Edward began blushing as she winked at him. He shook Levi's hand. "It was good to meet you."

"And you as well, Edward. You're every bit the good man Milena says you are."

"Thank you."

"Good to meet you as well, Alphonse," Levi said to the boy. "Make sure you walk around a lot and get those muscles moving. Nina's going to want to play with you, so you're going to need all your strength."

Alphonse smiled widely. "Yes, sir! Thank you for letting us stay here."

"It's not a problem," Milena smiled. "You are always welcome in our home." She looked down at the baby in her arms. "Say 'Good-bye, Edward. Good-bye, Al'."

Edward leaned down to the small bundle. "Bye, Nina. We'll see you soon. And we'll be ready to play with you as much as you want."

"Good-bye, Nina," Alphonse added. "Can't wait to see you again!"

Milena transferred Nina to Levi's arms before hugging Edward tightly. "I'm so glad you came by. I'm looking forward to your return."

"Thanks for everything you've done for us," Edward said to her. "It means a lot."

"Of course. You ever need someone to talk to, just come on by. I know we're kind of far from home, but like I said, you're always welcome."

"I'll keep that in mind."

Milena went over to Alphonse and hugged him as well. "I'm really glad I got to see you in your true form."

"Thank you so much," Alphonse smiled. "We'll be sure to visit again."

Milena went back over to stand next to Levi and took the baby from him. Edward and Alphonse began walking down the path to the main road.

"Bye, boys!" Levi called.

"We'll see you soon!" Milena added.

"Good-bye!" both boys chorused.

Levi wrapped his arm around his wife as they watched the two boys disappear from sight. Because of Edward coming into Milena's life, he had indirectly helped them meet and fall in love. He would thank that boy every day for years to come.

Though Edward and Milena had only been with each other for about a week years ago, they had made a huge impact on one another.

No matter what happened in the future, there would always be a place in Milena's heart for Edward and Alphonse just as there would always be a place in Edward and Alphonse's hearts for Milena.


	7. Chapter 7

**Bonus chapter inspired by one of Brenne's reviews that got me wondering what would happen if a certain "friend" of Edward's ran into our lovely doctor...**

 **Takes place a few months after Edward and Alphonse leave Milena's place the first time.**

* * *

Milena was sitting on her couch reading when there was a fierce pounding noise on the door. She slipped off her glasses and looked over, wondering if she should answer it when whoever was on the other side knocked in such a way.

"Is there anyone here?!" a male voice screamed on the other side. "Hello?!"

Milena swallowed thickly, hoping that whoever it was would just go away if she didn't say or do anything.

Suddenly, the door burst down. Without a second of hesitation, Milena clapped her hands together and moved her arms in a quick circle. The walls and the floor of her house began to move towards the intruder. Milena moved her hands so that he was pinned high up on the wall around his waist.

A bit too late, she recognized the symbol on his white gloves. Fire spouted towards her from the fingers he had just snapped, so she quickly moved her right hand and the floor rose up in front of her to protect her from the flames.

When the fire was gone, she quickly pushed the floor back down and pinned his hands to the walls so that he could not snap his fingers.

"So it's true," the man smirked. "You don't need to touch objects to use alchemy."

"Who are you?" Milena demanded.

"Your friend Edward Elric sent me to you."

Milena's eyes softened a little, but she still remained skeptical. "You know Edward?"

"Yeah. Technically, I'm his boss. I'm Colonel Roy Mustang."

"Milena. What are you doing here?"

"I…I need your help. It's my Lieutenant…"

"How do I know you're not lying to me?"

"She's…she's just in the car. Please, she's really injured, and Fullmetal told me that you're the only one around here who could help her."

Still a bit skeptical but refusing to let a patient go on without help (assuming there was one), Milena clapped her hands and moved her arms in a circle. Then she used her alchemy to release him from the wall. He fell to the ground before moving his hands a little to get the circulation going again.

"Thank you. She's out here."

Making sure that he was in front of her at all times, Milena followed Mustang out to his awaiting vehicle. He opened the door to the backseat, and Milena found a young blonde woman lying on a blanket bleeding heavily.

Now aware of the situation, Milena dropped her skepticism and went into doctor mode.

"Alright, I need you to gently carry her inside and place her on the bed in the room down the hall, second door on the right."

Milena rushed back inside and began preparing all the tools she would need to fix her newest patient.

Meanwhile, Mustang ever so gently lifted the lieutenant out of the car and carried her inside Milena's house.

"What's her name?" Milena asked once he had placed her down on the bed.

"Hawkeye. Uh, Riza."

Milena finished tying her apron around her waist and neck. "Okay. Sir, I'm going to need you to wait outside. And no matter what you hear, do not come in."

She gently pushed Mustang out of the room before turning back to the injured woman. She then quickly went about preparing a Transmutation Circle on the floor. Milena always used Transmutation Circles for patients. It was too risky not to use one. When a human life was at stake, she wanted to be sure that everything was perfect.

Milena quickly finished drawing the circle. She put one hand on Riza and then took a deep breath before putting her other hand on the completed circle.

Blue light engulfed the two women. Milena screamed loudly as the pain hit her full force.

Outside the room, Mustang heard her agonizing screams and rushed to the door. With his hand on the knob, he reluctantly stopped himself, remembering that Milena had told him not to come in no matter what he heard.

The screaming sounded for several tense moments as blue light flashed beneath the doorway.

Finally, the blue light faded, and Milena fell over gasping heavily. Mustering up what strength she had left, she forced herself to stand up and look down at Riza.

The blonde woman coughed a little and slowly opened her eyes.

"Hi, Riza?" Milena said gently. "My name is Milena. I'm a doctor. You were really injured, but I helped stop the bleeding. You're going to be okay."

"The…the colonel…" Hawkeye gasped as she attempted to sit up.

"Hey, hey. Take it easy. The Colonel's right outside. I'm going to bandage you up, and then I'll let him come in, okay?"

Milena put on her glasses and went about cleaning and bandaging the young woman's remaining wounds. She was surprised to find that the lieutenant didn't even flinch when the stinging alcohol came in contact with the opened skin.

Outside the room, Mustang waited anxiously for Milena to come out and tell him what was going on. It had only been several minutes since the screaming had ceased, but it felt like it had been hours.

The door opened and Milena stepped out looking a bit worse for wear. Roy felt his stomach tighten when he took note of the blood on the apron she was wearing. He quickly assumed the worst. After all, Hawkeye had been bleeding very heavily, and there was a strong possibility that whatever Milena had tried to do didn't work.

"You can come in now," she finally said.

Mustang slowly walked into the room and saw Hawkeye on the bed with a small weak smile on her face.

He released a small breath of relief. "Thank goodness you're all right," he said to her.

"Relax, Colonel," she smirked back. "It's going to take a lot more than that to kill me. Who else is going to watch your back?"

Roy let a trace of a smile appear on his lips.

"Um, Colonel Mustang, she needs to rest for a while," Milena said. "So, let's head out and let her sleep."

Mustang reluctantly left Hawkeye's bedside and went out into the living room with Milena.

"I hope I don't sound ungrateful, but when Fullmetal talked about what you did to him, he said that you healed him completely."

"With all due respect, sir, doing this kind of alchemy takes a toll on me. I just performed a lot of it last week on a couple of my patients and then there was the whole duel with you in my living room. I still haven't completely recharged, so I did as much as I could without putting myself at risk. She'll be good as new by tomorrow, I promise."

"I can't thank you enough. You saved her life."

"Of course. You're more than welcome to stay here for tonight. She'll probably be sleeping until tomorrow morning. We have a guest room that you can stay in."

"I have some business to take care of in town, but thank you for the offer."

"I'll make sure she's okay until you return for her."

Mustang nodded once before leaving Milena's home.

As soon as he was gone, the young woman crashed onto her couch, exhausted from the use of too much alchemy. She hadn't felt so weak since she and Edward had battled with the Homunculi. Well, she didn't feel THAT weak, but she certainly needed a nice long rest.

A few hours into the night when the sky had darkened and stars sprinkled the night sky, Milena's head turned at a soft knock on the door.

She quickly went to answer it and there stood Roy Mustang. "You should've knocked like that the first time," she told him.

"I decided to take you up on your offer."

"I know. I've already made up the guest bed."

"How'd you know I'd be coming back?"

"I'm good."

Roy chuckled lightly.

Milena observed him for a moment and took note of how haggard he looked compared to earlier. "Uh, can I get you some coffee? You look like you need it."

"You have anything stronger?"

Milena smiled a little. "Believe it or not, I think I have some tequila hidden away."

"Someone like you has tequila?"

"Hey, doctors have hard days too."

Milena went to the kitchen and pulled out a large bottle of tequila she and her father only pulled out when they lost a patient. However, it seemed like the soldier sitting in her living room could really use some at the moment. One exception wouldn't hurt.

Mustang gratefully took the small glass from her. She sat down in the chair across from him. Then she clinked glasses with him before they both downed the drink in one quick shot.

Mustang quickly began pouring himself another glass.

"Rough day?" Milena asked.

"You could say that."

"What's going on?"

"It's military-classified."

"I understand. I'm sorry whatever's going on is weighing you down so much. Riza getting injured probably isn't helping."

"Knowing that she's going to live is enough."

"Has she always worked for you?"

"I actually studied alchemy under her father, so we've known each other since we were teenagers. I decided to join the military in order to gain his approval so he would teach me flame alchemy. He died before he could, but Lieutenant Hawkeye entrusted me with the secret of flame alchemy some time later. She joined me in the military so that she could always be sure to have my back."

"I see. And falling for her, was that before or after joining the military?"

Mustang's eyes widened to the size of saucers. "Huh?!"

Milena laughed a little at his reaction. "It's clear to me that you think of her as more than just a lieutenant. Even more than just a friend."

Mustang cleared his throat. "Lieutenant Hawkeye is a valuable asset to my team. However, romantic attachment is not part of our relationship."

 _What is it with alchemists denying their feelings for someone?_ Milena thought.

"Colonel Mustang, if you truly do like her as more than a friend, I swear to you, that information won't leave this house. I have a strict patient confidentiality policy after all."

"I'm sorry to say that Lieutenant Hawkeye is my subordinate and nothing more."

Milena thought about that statement and wondered if he was saying he was sorry because she was wrong, or he was sorry because he wanted to be more than just her superior but he wasn't.

"What about you?" Mustang asked. "Is there anyone special in your life?"

"No. When you spend all your time taking care of patients, there's not a lot of spare time to meet people. But it doesn't matter to me. I'd rather focus on helping people get better than worry about finding someone."

"You live with your father, correct?"

"Yes. He's away right now, but he's expected to come back tomorrow. He's the one who travels from place to place to offer help to the resident doctors. Meanwhile, I stay here and man the fort in case people like you stop by and need someone."

"I'm eternally in your debt for saving my lieutenant. I wasn't sure she was going to make it."

"You can thank Edward. If it wasn't for him helping me to use my alchemy again, Riza probably wouldn't have made it."

"I'd tell Fullmetal that, but then I would never hear the end of it."

"If you don't mind my asking…did Homunculi do that to her?"

"No. I heard you and Fullmetal had quite the fight with them."

"Well, we won the battle, but he's still fighting the war." Milena bit her lip as she sighed. "How's he doing?"

"Fullmetal? He and his brother are searching for the Philosopher's Stone as always. They report back to me when they can."

"I hate to ask this…but do you think you could just give me a call every now and then and just let me know that he's okay?"

"Why don't you get him to call you himself?"

"He's just so young, and he's got enough on his plate as it is. And with him always traveling, it'll be hard for him to contact me. I just need to know that he's alive and that he's okay."

"You saved my lieutenant. It's the least I can do."

"Thank you. It's late, and I know that you're both going to be pretty busy tomorrow. Why don't you get some sleep? You look like you could use it."

Mustang downed one more glass of tequila. "Thanks for the drink."

"Of course."

The colonel got up from the couch and headed to the guest bedroom to get some well-earned sleep.

Milena stayed up for the remainder of the night to check on Riza's wounds and confirm that they were healing as they should.

Sure enough, by the next morning, Riza Hawkeye had a clean bill of health. In fact, she couldn't remember a time she had felt so energized.

When she stepped out of the room after dressing, she found Milena cooking some breakfast in the kitchen.

"Feeling better?" she asked with a bright smile.

"Much, thank you," Hawkeye answered. "Where's the colonel?"

"Right here," Mustang told her as he came out of the guest room.

Hawkeye quickly saluted him. Her eyes narrowed a little when she saw that his own eyes were a bit bloodshot. Clearly, he had been drinking a bit too much the night before.

"At ease," Mustang said.

"I know you don't have much time to eat, but I thought you'd still like at least a little something before you go," Milena said to them. She looked over at Hawkeye. "After all, you haven't eaten in at least a day." She glanced over at Mustang and saw the aftereffects of having too much tequila. "And I think some food would do you good."

"Thank you."

The two soldiers sat down at the table and quickly ate the breakfast Milena had prepared. Then they gathered up their belongings and began to head out to the car.

Mustang handed Milena a slip of paper while Hawkeye put everything into their vehicle. "This should cover everything."

Milena's eyes widened when she saw how much he was paying her. "This is way more than I usually charge my patients! I…I can't accept this!"

"Think of it as payment for the little showdown we had and the both of us staying here for the night. To be honest, I can see how much using alchemy takes out of you. Not to mention that you look exhausted which I can only assume was from you staying up all night to care for my lieutenant. You deserve more than what I'm giving you."

"Wow…um, thank you so much, Colonel Mustang. Be sure to tell Edward I said hi. And…just a piece of advice…you don't always have to say 'I love you' to let someone know how much you care for them."

Milena smiled as a barely noticeable shade of pink appeared on Roy's cheeks, but it disappeared just as soon as it came.

She watched as the two of them drove off to fulfill their duties as soldiers of the military. Milena was extremely relieved to hear that Edward was still doing okay. She could safely say that she missed him a lot even though they hadn't been in each other's company for terribly long. She considered him to be like the younger brother she never got, and she had told him as much.

Another familiar car drove up to the house.

"Hey, Dad!" she called.

"Milena, I need your help!" he said urgently as he hurried out of the vehicle.

Milena sighed. "It never ends." She rushed over to him as he pulled an unconscious man out of the backseat. "What happened to him?"

"I'm not sure. Hopefully, he'll be able to tell us when he wakes up."

"Well, I just used a lot of alchemy yesterday, but I'll do what I can to make sure he's okay and then you can do the rest. What's his name?"

"Levi."


End file.
